THE POTENTIAL & THE CHALLENGE

There is huge potential for the application of this approach to the social services environment in the development of communities of practice, either internal to organisations or, more productively, across the sector. It’s not difficult to imagine the use of wikis to enable the collaborative development and updating of key social care information resources. The use of e-portfolio systems to support post-registration training and learning requirements and to store and share resources for self-directed learning would also be worth exploring. Using podcasts to update staff on new legislative or procedural requirements or to make expert views available to the whole organisation would also have value. Of course, behind the organisational firewall, it’s likely that these tools will be used with a greater degree of circumspection: issues around authentication and access; version control; and editing rights are likely to be more critical. The key thing here is taking the affordances of these newly emerging technologies and bending them to achieve business processes. However, it’s likely that some organisations will be prepared to take more risks than others.

It’s well established that one of the problems with any new technology is its disruptive effect on existing practices. This effect isn’t just about the way one technology replaces an older technology, but also about the effect of new technologies on social practices and organisational structures. Herein lies a source of difficulty with social software in the workplace: it is potentially highly disruptive of existing practices especially in a hierarchical, command and control, low-trust environment. For example a technology that enables lateral communication and networking can raise the profile and demonstrate the value of employees who are well-connected and influential in the network; but this might be at the expense of more traditional managers who rely on position power to maintain their authority.

As David Tebbut has argued the use of Web 2.0 technologies may have a proven ability to help practitioners communicate, collaborate and build communities of practice “However, inside business such an approach brings risks and often a high degree of scepticism on the part of management.” (Tebbut, 2006). The organisatonal issues Tebbut identifies include control, trust, organisational entropy, and self-interest. Of course there are always issues about the introduction of new technologies into the workplace, and it’s quite legitmate for managers to be concerned about resources, productivity and performance. But sometimes apparent managerial concerns can mask deeper issues about trust, power, and control. And here we are at the heart of the issue. Who stands to gain and who to lose when a new technology is introduced? Early adopters of social software and Web 2.0 technologies are likely to be organisations with leaders that value learning, that are comfortable with crossing boundaries, that are mature enough to take reasonable risks, and that promote employee autonomy as well as accountability. Now, doesn’t that sound like a 21st century social care organisation?